The seven ages of Steve Jobs

The seven ages of Steve Jobs

Apple co-founder Steve Jobs is one of technology's great survivors. We follow him through 30 years in the industry

Friday 3 August 2007 10.56 EDT
First published on Friday 3 August 2007 10.56 EDT

Day one:

Steve Jobs (right) with Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak on the day they founded the company, working the "Errol Flynn and a hobbit" look that was all the rage in '76. Note the intense glare and moustache: pre-requisites for any serious geeks looking to take over the Valley.

The Alan Sugar years:

After the biggest stock flotation in history made the two Steves super-rich, they were now bona fide businessmen. And, as any MBA will tell you, that's shorthand for "a snappy 1980s suit and eradication of any unsightly facial hair, please".

Eagle-eyed fans continue to wonder whether Jobs is wearing any trousers with his suit: the enigmatic smile on the face of the Japanese woman featured on the Mac screen is giving nothing away.

Out in the cold:

After being ousted from the company he founded in 1985, Jobs went on to start another computer firm, NeXT. His frosty mental state is perhaps reflected by the austere attire: a moody, sleek black suit that showed he meant business - and is weirdly reminiscent of a French politician or a character from a Fellini film.

Back from the wilderness:

Reinstated as the boss of Apple, Jobs 2.0 (shown here in 1998) emerged from hibernation with woodsman beard and hamster cheeks.

Perhaps, like George Best or Wayne Rooney going through a goalless spell, he refused to shave until he was able to drop the title of interim CEO. Perhaps he'd just been watching too many Grizzly Adams episodes.

The veteran:

With Apple's success secured, Jobs has now adopted what can only be described as a war veteran look. Lean and mean with close-cropped hair and shadowy stubble, he is pimping himself as a technology ninja. Here, for example, he is demonstrating one of the 327 ways he can kill a man with an iPhone.